Electric-circuit-closing device.



W. W. BURKE,

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CLOSING DEVICE. APPLICATION TILED AUG.15, 1913.

1,101,009. Patented June '23, 1914b UNITED STATES PATENT oFFioE.

WILLIAM W. BURKE, OF IBENNINGTON, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO JAMES E. BURKE AND ONE-FOURTH '10 ALEXANDER J. COOPER, BOTH OF BEN- NINGTON, VERMONT.

ELEGTRIC-CIRCUIT-CLOSING DEVICE.

Application filed August 15, 1913. Serial No. 784,923.

To all whom it may] concern Be it known that I, lVILL AM W. BUnKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bennington, in the county of Bennington and State of Vermont, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric-Cir The invention is an improvement in certain specific features upon the invention embodied in applicants co-pending application Serial No. '7 66,685, filed May 10, 1913, to which reference may be had. It is very essentialthat said drop device shall be moved freely and as it is formed with two legs which project through holes in a base containing the contacts, it is desirable at times to remove from said holes any dust or lint that may gather therein. The construction of the base whereby such an operation may be performed easily and quickly is one of the objects of this invention.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the claims thereof.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a circuit closing device. embodymg'my lnventlon. Fig. 2 1s a slde elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3 -3 of Fig. 2.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 5 is the circuit closing device consisting of a base '6 in two parts, namely, a lower part 7 and an upper part 8. These parts preferably are formed of insulating material and in the upper part 8 a drop device 9 is slidably mounted conslsting'of a wire bent in U-shape, the legs 10 constitutin contact points and the closed end of sai drop device being bent at 11 to 7 form a guide for a strand of yarn 12. When said strand of yarn breaks or the runs out or' when abnormal tension is applied thereto the legs lO-will be caused, in a manner hereinafter described, to engage the contacts 13, which preferably consist of mercury inclosed in chambers 14 contained wlthin the base 6. The legs 10 are arranged to slide in holes 15 formed in the upper part 8 of the base, said holes leading into the chambers 14 from the top of said upper part 8.

In the upper surface of the lower part 7 and lmmediately above the chambers 14 washers 27 are provided which have holes 28 therein through which the legs 10 proect into the chambers 14. These washers are preferably made of felt and prevent any of the mercury in the chambers 14 from leaking out between the parts 7 and 8.

When the circuit is open the parts will be in the position illustrated in Fig. 3. When the circuit is closed by the drop wire Specification of Letters Patent.- Patent d J n 23 1 1 supply 9 the electromagnet in the circuit (not shown in the drawings) will be energized and the armature of said electromagnet will be drawn toward said electromagnet and operate mechanism to release a suitable stop motion mechanism whereby the machine will be stopped, all as particularly set'forth in said application Serial No. 766,685. The drop wire 9 is held out of contact with the contacts 13 by the strand of yarn 12 which passes from a yarn mass through suitable guide eyes and over a yarn guide 16 to the guide eye or bend 11 formed in the drop wire 9, thence upwardly through a stationary guide eye 17, through a movable guide eye 18 and thence through stationary guide eyes (not shown in the drawings) to the primary ,needles of a knitting machine. The movable guide eye 18 is fastened to a U.- shaped lever 19 consisting of two side arms 29 joined together by a cross-bar 22. The side arms 29 are pivoted to pins 20 fast to the upper part '8 of the base. These side arms are made of spring metal, so that they can be sprung off of the pivotal pins 20 when it is desired to remove the lever from the base for the purpose hereinafter specified. A pin 21, constituting an arm, extends through the cross-bar 22 of said lever 19 and projects over the closed end of the U-shaped drop wire 9 and forms a stop therefor to prevent said eye from being moved away from the contacts 13 more than a certain distance. The pin 21 projects through the cross-bar 22 and is provided with a weight 23 which has screw-threaded engagement therewith, so that by movlng said weight on said pin toward and away from the pivot 20 of the lever 19 the tension on the yarn 12 may be decreased or 1ncroased, respectively, so as to hold the lever 19 downwardly in substantially the position illustrated in Fig. 2, with the cross-bar 22 in contact with the upper part 8 of the base under normal conditions or when the yarn is subjected to a normal tension.

Different sizes of yarn require more or less tension. For larger sizes the weight 23 is moved outwardly from the pivot 20 and for smaller sizes said weight is moved toward said pivot. In order that the part 6 may be quickly and accurately located upon, and locked to, the part 7 of the base 6 two dowel pins 24: are fastened to the lower part 7 and are arranged to project into holes 25 in the upper part 8. A spring catch 26 is fastened to the lower part 7 and is formed to hook over the top of the upper part 8, thus locking the two parts 7 and 8 together.

The device hereinbefore described is operated and used as follows: When it is desired to clean out the holes 15 the parts 7' and 8 are separated one from the other by moving the catch 26 out of contact with the upper part 8 of the base and then pulling said parts 7 and 8 apartthe operator blows through the holes 15 and dislodges any dust or lint that may be gathered therein. He then replaces the parts as before, allowing the spring catch 26 to spring into place over the top of the upper part 8, thus locking said parts together. The weight 23 is moved toward or away from the'pivot 20 by rotating the same upon the pin 21 in the proper direction, so that the weight of the lever 19, including the nut 23, will be properly distributed to apply the correct tension to the yarn which is being used according to the size of said yarn.

Assuming the device to be attached to a knitting machine, it will be seen that the drop wire 9 is raised by the tension of the yarn 12, so that the contact points 10 are out of contact with the contacts 13 and, therefore, the electric circuit is open. The guide 16 is at such a height relatively to the drop wire 9 that the contact points 10, while close to the contacts 13, do not engage the same. The yarn extends substantially in a horizontal direction from the gui le16 to the guide-eye 11 of the drop wire 9, then said yarn extends in a substantially vertical direction to the guide eye '17 and from the guide eye 17 said yarn extends through the guide eye 18 and thence to a suitable guide eye on the frame of the machine (not shown in the drawings) leading the yarn in such a direction as to form a bight (see Fig. 2).

The reason for this arrangement is that when an abnormal tension is applied to the yarn the lever 19 will move upwardly from the position illustrated in Fig. 2 and at the same time the pin 21 will positively push the drop wire 9 downwardly to engage the contacts 13 and close the electric circuit.

When the wire 9 is thus pushed downwardly by the pin 21, it is evident that yarn must be paid out to said drop wire or the device will become locked and by the arrangement hereinbefore set forth, by which a bight is obtained in the yarn 12 adjacent to the thread guide 18, this yarn can be paid out to a sufficient extent so that no locking of the mechanism by said yarn will occur. Thus, when abnormal tension is applied to the yarn, it will be understood that the lever 19-will be rocked onits pivot and the pin 21 will force the wire 9 downwardlly until the contact points 10 engage the contacts 13 and complete the circuit. As soon as the circuit is completed the stop motion mechanism will be operated through the action of the electromagnet and armature lever to stop the machine, as set forth in said co-pending application, and if the yarn should break the drop wire 9 will of its own weight drop until the contact points 10 engage the contacts 13, completing the circuit and causin the stop motion mechanism to be operate as hereinbefore described. The same would be true if the supply of yarn ran out.

It will be understood that one of the circuit closing devices hereinbefore described will be supplied for each feed of yarn in a. knitting machine and also that the circuit closing device is applicable to any machine employing a strand of thread or yarn for the purpose of operating a stop motion mechanism when, the tension becomes abnormal upon said thread or yarn, or when the thread or yarn breaks or when the sup ply of thread or yarn runs out.

It sometimes happens that a piece of lint or portion of a strand of yarn will become entangled and wound around the drop wire 9 in such a manner that it is difficult to dislodge the same while the parts of the circuit closing device are assembled, in which case the operator can spring the side arms 29 of the lever 19 apart, so that they will become disengaged from their pivotal pins 20 and remove the lever 19 so that the drop device can subsequently be removed from the base and the lint or yarn easily removed therefrom.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is r 1. A circuit closing device having, in combination, a base in two parts, a catch connecting said parts together, a pair of concircuit and constituting a guide for a strand of yarn, said drop wire having two legs projecting through holes provided in the other of said parts. in alinement with said contacts.

3. A circuit closing device having, in com-,

bination, a base in two parts, means detachably connecting said parts together, one of said parts being provided with two chambers, mercury in said chambers constituting contacts, washers located at the upper ends of said chambers constituting a packing means and a drop wire forming a portion of an electric circuit and constituting a guide for a strand of yarn, a plurality of guides for said yarn, said drop wire having two legs projecting through holes provided in the other of said parts and through holes provided in said Washers in alinement with said contacts.

4. A circuit closing device having, in combination, an electric circuit including a drop device adapted to openand close said circuit and constituting a guide for a strand of yarn, a plurality of guides for said yarn, a lever adapted to engage. said drop device, said lever consisting of a cross-bar and two side arms, pins upon which said side arms are pivoted constituting pivots for said lever and a guide for said yarn mounted on said lever, said side arms adapted to be sprung laterally out of engagement with said pins, whereby when under abnormal tension said lever may be rocked by said yarn to move said drop device to close said circuit.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM W. BURKE. Witnesses:

ROBERT E. HEALY, CHAS. HY. GREEN. 

